Privacy Policy

DeepDots Ventures (“DeepDots,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who interacts with our website and services. This Privacy Policy explains in detail how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information when you visit deepdotsai.org (the “Website”), contact us about potential investments, or otherwise engage with DeepDots Ventures.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using our Website or contacting us, you agree to the data practices described herein. If you do not agree with any part of this policy, please do not use our Website.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you interact with DeepDots Ventures, we may collect information that you provide voluntarily, including:

• Contact Information: Your name, email address, telephone number, company name, job title, and mailing address when you submit our contact form, send us an email, or request information about our investment activities.
• Pitch and Investment Materials: Business plans, financial projections, pitch decks, and other materials you share with us in connection with a potential investment inquiry.
• Professional Background: LinkedIn profile links, portfolio descriptions, team biographies, and similar professional information you choose to share with us.
• Communications Content: The text of emails, contact form messages, and any other communications you send to us.
• Newsletter and Content Subscriptions: Your email address and communication preferences if you subscribe to receive updates from us.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Website, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies:

• Usage Data: Pages you visit, time spent on each page, links you click, referring URLs, and navigation paths through the Website.
• Device and Browser Information: Browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and other technical information about the device you use to access the Website.
• IP Address and Location Data: Your Internet Protocol (IP) address, which may be used to approximate your general geographic location at the city or country level.
• Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Data stored in cookies and similar technologies on your device. Please review our Cookie Policy for detailed information about our use of cookies.

1.3 Information From Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties in limited circumstances, including:

• Professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn when you interact with our public presence there.
• Other investors, advisors, or founders in our network who introduce you to us or provide context about your work.
• Publicly available sources such as company websites, news publications, and professional directories.

2. How We Use Your Information

DeepDots Ventures uses the information we collect for the following purposes:

2.1 Investment Activities

• Evaluating investment opportunities submitted to us by founders and entrepreneurs.
• Maintaining records of our deal pipeline, including companies we have evaluated, invested in, or declined to invest in.
• Conducting due diligence on potential portfolio companies.
• Managing our ongoing relationships with portfolio companies, co-investors, and limited partners.

2.2 Website and Service Operations

• Responding to inquiries and providing information about our investment focus and team.
• Improving the functionality, content, and user experience of our Website.
• Analyzing Website traffic patterns and user behavior to understand which content is most useful to our visitors.
• Troubleshooting technical issues with the Website.

2.3 Communications

• Sending newsletters, investment insights, and updates about DeepDots Ventures activities to subscribers who have opted in.
• Notifying you about changes to our privacy practices, terms of service, or Website.
• Responding to your communications and requests promptly and accurately.

2.4 Legal and Compliance

• Complying with applicable laws, regulations, and legal obligations.
• Responding to lawful requests from courts, law enforcement agencies, and regulatory authorities.
• Enforcing our terms of service and protecting our legal rights.
• Preventing fraud, unauthorized activity, and other misuse of our Website.

3. Legal Basis for Processing (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your personal information under the following legal bases as applicable under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR:

• Legitimate Interests: We process information about investment inquiries, business development contacts, and Website analytics based on our legitimate business interests in evaluating investment opportunities and operating our firm effectively.
• Consent: We send marketing communications and newsletters based on your explicit consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
• Contract Performance: If we enter into an investment agreement or advisory relationship with you, we process relevant information as necessary to perform our contractual obligations.
• Legal Obligation: We process certain information to comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements governing our investment activities.

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

DeepDots Ventures does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

4.1 Service Providers

We engage trusted third-party service providers to assist us in operating our Website and conducting our business, including web hosting providers, email service platforms, analytics providers, and CRM software vendors. These providers access personal information only as necessary to perform services on our behalf and are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of such information.

4.2 Investment Network

With your knowledge and consent, we may share information about your company and team with co-investors, advisors, and others in our investment network for purposes related to evaluating or facilitating an investment.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to comply with legal obligations, protect our rights or the rights of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

4.4 Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, personal information we hold may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change in ownership or control of your personal information.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, subject to the following guidelines:

• Investment Inquiries: Information from founders and entrepreneurs who contact us about potential investments is typically retained for up to five years from the date of last contact, reflecting the long-term nature of the venture capital industry and the possibility that opportunities may become relevant in the future.
• Portfolio Company Information: Information related to our portfolio companies is retained for the duration of the investment and for a reasonable period thereafter to manage post-investment obligations and legal requirements.
• Website Analytics: Aggregate website analytics data is retained for up to two years. Raw log data containing IP addresses is retained for a shorter period consistent with our security and fraud prevention needs.
• Email Communications: Email correspondence is retained for up to seven years to maintain an accurate record of our professional communications and to comply with applicable record-keeping obligations.
• Marketing Subscriptions: Subscription data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion, at which point we will remove your information from our active marketing lists promptly.

When personal information is no longer needed for any of the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

6. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:

6.1 Rights for All Users

• Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information about you.
• Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Opt-Out of Marketing: You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you or by contacting us directly.

6.2 Additional Rights for EEA and UK Residents

• Data Portability: You have the right to receive a copy of your personal information in a structured, machine-readable format and to transmit that information to another controller.
• Restriction of Processing: You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Objection: You have the right to object to processing of your personal information that is based on our legitimate interests.
• Automated Decision-Making: You have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing that significantly affects you.
• Supervisory Authority Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe we have processed your personal information unlawfully.

6.3 Rights for California Residents

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), including the right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold; the right to delete personal information; the right to correct inaccurate personal information; and the right to non-discrimination for exercising privacy rights.

DeepDots Ventures does not sell personal information. We do not engage in targeted cross-context behavioral advertising using personal information from our Website visitors.

6.4 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of the rights described above, please contact us at:

DeepDots Ventures
1247 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 800
New York, NY 10020
Email: privacy@deepdotsai.org

We will respond to your request within 30 days. We may ask you to verify your identity before fulfilling your request to protect the security of your personal information.

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. For comprehensive information about how we use cookies, what choices you have, and how to manage your cookie preferences, please review our Cookie Policy.

We use the following categories of cookies: strictly necessary cookies that are required for the Website to function, analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors interact with our Website, and preference cookies that remember your settings and choices. We do not use advertising or targeting cookies.

8. Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect it from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit using TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols.
• Access controls that limit personal information access to authorized personnel who need it for their job responsibilities.
• Regular review of our information collection, storage, and processing practices.
• Contractual security requirements for our third-party service providers.

Despite these measures, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your personal information. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the appropriate authorities as required by applicable law.

9. International Data Transfers

DeepDots Ventures is based in the United States. If you are located outside the United States, please be aware that information you provide to us may be transferred to and processed in the United States, which may have data protection laws different from those in your country of residence.

For transfers of personal information from the EEA or UK to the United States, we rely on appropriate transfer mechanisms including Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, or other lawful transfer mechanisms under applicable data protection law.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, publications, and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or policies of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit. The inclusion of a link on our Website does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of the linked site or its privacy practices.

11. Children's Privacy

Our Website is intended for adults and is not directed to children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately at privacy@deepdotsai.org and we will promptly delete the information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or business operations. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
• Post a notice on our Website homepage announcing the change.
• Where required by law, notify you directly of material changes by email.

Your continued use of our Website after changes are posted constitutes your acknowledgment of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please do not hesitate to contact us:

DeepDots Ventures
1247 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 800
New York, NY 10020
United States

Email: privacy@deepdotsai.org
General Inquiries: hello@deepdotsai.org

We are committed to working with you to resolve any concerns about your personal information. If we cannot resolve a concern to your satisfaction, you have the right to complain to the data protection authority in your country of residence.